Freeform on Xiaomi: a revolutionary multitasking mode or a marketing ploy?

If you own a Xiaomi TV or smartphone MIUI Or HyperOS, you might have noticed a mysterious feature of Freeform in the settings: What it is, what it's for, and how to use it correctly -- questions that cause confusion even among power users. In this article, we will take a closer look at Freeform technology, its capabilities, limitations, and how it is integrated into the Xiaomi ecosystem.

Now, it's worth making it clear: Freeform isn't just a window mode, it's a whole multitasking concept that allows apps to run in random, sizeable windows. Unlike standard split screens, there's no hard boxes: you can freely scale, drag and drop windows, and even overlaid each other. But there's a nuance: not all Xiaomi devices support this feature, and some apps refuse to work in this mode. Let's see how this works in practice.

What is Freeform: A Technical Explanation

Freeform (translated as “free form”) is a multitasking mode based on the Android Multi-Window standard. API, But with advanced capabilities. In classic Android, applications can work in two modes:

• 🔹 Split-screen – two apps divide the display in half.
• 🔹 A picture-in-picture is a miniature window over the main content (e.g., a YouTube video).

Freeform goes further, where each application can open in a separate window with arbitrary dimensions, like on a desktop PC. This is especially true for large screens, such as Xiaomi Mi TVs. TV, Pad tablets and smartphones with fold-out displays (for example, Xiaomi) MIX Fold).

Technically, Freeform is implemented through:

• 📱 Support at OS level: Android 7.0 is required+ (But the full work begins with Android 10).
• 🔧 Special flags in MIUI/HyperOS: The function can be hidden in the developer (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — slip 7 time to activate the developer mode).
• 🖥️ Application Adaptation: Not all programs support arbitrary windows (e.g., games or banking applications often block this mode).

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If your Xiaomi device does not have Freeform option in settings, check the firmware version. On some models, the feature only appears after manually enabling through adb shell settings put global. enable_freeform_support 1 (Developer rights are required).

What devices does Xiaomi use Freeform?

Freeform is not available on all Xiaomi gadgets, but here are the key compatibility criteria:

⚠️ Note: On HyperOS devices (e.g. Xiaomi 14 or Pad) 6S Pro) Freeform may work differently than on MIUI. In the new shell, windows automatically adjust to the content, but some control gestures have changed.

How to Enable and Use Freeform on Xiaomi

The activation process depends on the type of device, and let's look at the step-by-step instructions for the most popular scenarios.

📺 On Mi TVs. TV

1. Open Settings. → All settings → System system → Multitasking mode.

2. Select Freeform (may be called "Free Windows").

3. Press the Home button on the remote to see the list of open applications.

4 Drag the desired application to any part of the screen - it will open in a separate window.

Make sure the TV is updated to the latest version. MIUI TV|

Connect a mouse or keyboard for easy window control|

Close the background applications to avoid slowdowns|

Check the compatibility of the desired applications with Freeform mode-->

📱 On smartphones and tablets

Freeform is hidden on most devices, so you can activate it.

1. Enable Developer Mode (7 taps according to Version) MIUI customized).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Find the Freeform option (or enable_freeform_support) and turn it on.
4. Reset the device.

After that:

• 🔘 Open Recent Apps (Swipe Up with Pause).
• 🔘 Click on the app icon and select Free window.
• 🔘 Change the size of the window by pulling the corners.

⚠️ Warning: Freeform may conflict with navigation gestures on some firmware.If windows don't drag and drop, turn off Full-screen gestures in screen settings.

What apps support Freeform?

Not all programs are adapted to work in free windows, but here are the categories of applications with varying degrees of support:

Critical nuance: applications with DRM-protection (e.g. Netflix or Disney)+) Refuse to work in Freeform mode due to restrictions on the output of content in part-screen mode.

If you need to check the compatibility of a particular application:

1. Open it in Freeform mode.
2. Try changing the size of the window.
3. If the application is closed or gives an error, there is no support.

Freeform problems and mistakes: how to fix them

Despite its convenience, Freeform can malfunction, and here are the most common problems and solutions:

• 🚫 Windows don't drag and drop. Reason: gesture conflict or window fixing option enabled. Solution: Turn off Settings. → System system → Gestures → Fixing windows.
• 🔄 Applications are spontaneously closed Reason: lack of RAM (especially on budget devices).Solution: Close background processes through Settings → Annexes → Clear the memory.
• 🖥️ Black screen in window Reason: the app doesn't support output to a random window Solution: try running it in standard mode or update it.
• 🔊 No sound in floating windows Reason: error in audio settings Solution: Go to Settings → Sound. → Output of sound and select the device speaker.

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If the device starts to brake after turning on Freeform, try limiting the number of windows simultaneously open to 2-3. 9A) Multitasking can overload the processor.

Freeform vs Split-screen: Which is better?

Both modes are designed to multitask, but they're suitable for different scenarios.

🔹 When to use Freeform:

• 💻 Working with documents and instant messengers at the same time (for example, Word) + Telegram).
• 📊 Monitoring of several data sources (exchange quotes, weather, calendar).
• 🎮 Streaming gameplay with overlay of chat (on TVs).

🔹 When is Split-screen better:

• 📱 Quickly viewing messages in parallel with video.
• 📝 Simultaneous work with two documents.
• 🎵 Listening to music with an open browser.

Freeform’s Future: What to Expect from Xiaomi

In the latest versions of HyperOS, Xiaomi is actively working on multitasking, and this is what may appear in the near future:

• 🤖 Windows AI Optimization: Automatically resize based on content (e.g., video is displayed on the full screen, while chat remains a small window).
• 🎮 Freeform game mode: support for cloud games (for example, Xiaomi Game Turbo in floating windows).
• 🔄 Synchronization between devices: open windows on the smartphone will automatically be transferred to the TV Mi TV plug-in.
• 🛡️ Improved security: protection against screenshots in banking applications even in Freeform mode.

Rumor has it that MIUI 15 (or the next major HyperOS update) will feature a “Windows Group” feature – the ability to save application sets (for example, “Work”: Word) + Excel + Outlook and open them with one tap.

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Follow the beta versions of firmware on the Xiaomi Community forum. New Freeform features often appear there long before the official release.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Freeform on Xiaomi